In the by-election, Fabio Roscioli, former treasurer of Forza Italia and a close associate of the Berlusconis, won with 51.02 per cent of the vote. “Saxony turned out to be a mere pebble,” said the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. The national spokesperson for Forza Italia said: “Forza Italia has won; the party was under attack from all sides but has demonstrated that it has a very firm grip on the region.”